Tumblr is to introduce paid advertisements on its service for the first time, as the popular social media site looks to capitalise on the 40 million blogs on its platform.
The decision comes despite Tumblr’s founder David Karp once saying that online ads “turn our stomachs”.
Under the new scheme, brands will be offered space within the site’s “dashboard” from 2 May.
The adverts will appear in the service’s pre-existing “radar” slot which is currently used to showcase popular posts from other users.
Karp said that Tumblr has about 15 partnerships in which it has used Radar to promote content from brands, including The Cartoon Network, but that packaging it as an ad is an opportunity to make a campaign “repeatable.”
Since launching in 2007, Tumblr has grown massively, now boasting over 40 million individual blogs.
The platform has become increasingly popular as a way of sharing web memes, or in-jokes, such as Texts From Hillary Clinton – a site which counted the US Secretary of State among its many fans.
Many brands already use Tumblr, but this will be the first time they can pay for added exposure on the platform.
Tumblr has been seeking extra revenue streams after enjoying rapid growth over the past 12 months.
Speaking at Ad Age’s Digital Conference in New York, Mr Karp said he was an “idiot” for telling the Los Angeles Times that he was “opposed to advertising” during an interview in 2010. He had accused ad platforms on rival services such as Facebook and Google of being “devoid of creativity”.
View the Ad Age article here
